An Oregon company recalled 10 million pounds of meat and poultry products over fears they may have been contaminated with deadly listeria at its Oklahoma plant.
BrucePac, of Woodburn, Oregon, announced the recall Wednesday after routine inspections of ready to eat chicken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture came back positive for the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes.
Further examination at the plant in Durant, Ok., identified the poultry products as the source, the FDA said.
The company said the ready-to-eat products were produced at the Oklahoma plant between June 19 through Oct. 8 and bear the numbers "51205" or "P-51205" inside or under the USDA mark of inspection.
Those numbers only appear on meat and poultry products shipped to customers. Other deliveries were made to "establishments and distributors nationwide then distributed to restaurants and institutions" across the country, the federal agency said.
"We are committed to providing safe, high-quality products. We are working closely with USDA toensure that all necessary actions are taken to ensure a safe food supply," BrucePac said in a statement.
"We will not resume production until we are confident the issue has been resolved," it said.
There have been no confirmed reports of illnesses connected to the recall, and the USDA recommends anyone concerned should contact a healthcare provider.
Listeria can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions that are accompanied by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal problems.
The symptoms are especially dangerous for the elderly, people with weakened immune systems and pregnant women.
